HIGH SCHOOL

Devils, Gales battle to scoreless tie

Sam Blackburn
Reporter

ZANESVILLE — Conditions were nothing less than brutal on Saturday at John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium.

Cold temperatures mixed with wind and steady rain impacted play from start to finish between Zanesville and visiting Lancaster, and the results on the scoreboard showed. Neither team scored a goal in a defensive struggle between the Division I central district powers.

Lancaster held a slight edge in shots on goal, but neither goalie budged.

"Anytime you can win or tie against a Central District foe it's okay," Zanesville coach Todd Riley said. "We're battling some injuries right now, so I think that had a little bit to do with it. Lancaster is very good, anytime you can go 9-2 in the (Ohio Capital Conference), that's pretty impressive. They're well-coached, well-disciplined."

Zanesville's best scoring chance in the second half came when star forward Destiny Johnson took a loose ball near midfield, raced through traffic and got into the box, but Golden Gales goalie Mikaela Wagner made a sliding stop to end the threat.

Lancaster had a pair of corner kicks in the final 10 minutes, but Zanesville keeper Kenzie Newsom made stops from close range on both occasions.

Zanesville also missed a few chances early, as Wagner made timely stops while her own team's offense sputtered out of the gate.

"Anytime the girls do enough to get a shutout, we just need to put a couple away and we didn't," Riley said. "No complaints. I'm pretty happy with the way we played."

Riley said the Gales were one of the top teams his team has faced.

"I'd put them right there with Canal Winchester and Hilliard Darby as the three best teams we've faced this year and we came out of that with a win and two ties, so we're pretty happy about that," Riley said.. "I'm happy with where we are. We had certain goals, unless Coshocton surprises Rosecrans on Thursday, they're going to win the ECOL. But we still have a chance to reach the rest of our goals."

Lancaster coach Brian Griffin admitted the weather played a role on Saturday but also credited the Lady Devils and called them one of the top teams in the district. In three years, the Gales have managed two ties with a loss to the Devils.

"They're right on par with those we've faced in the Central District," Griffin said. "They're real athletic and have a quality touch on the turf."

They certainly tried to keep an eye on the fleet-footed Johnson at all times.

"We were cold," Griffin said. "It took us a while to get into the swing of things. I don't think we played bad, we didn't have the possession that we like to have, and playing on the turf was something we weren't used to. The speed of the game is completely different."

sblackburn@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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